Jerome L. Coleman

July 03, 1999

Jerome L. Coleman, 79, whose recollections of the Depression and fighting in World War II served as a history lesson to at least one friend, died Wednesday in his home in Chicago's Streeterville area. Mr. Coleman grew up in Chicago, moving every few years per his mother's fancy, said friend and sometimes employee Judi Olsen. As a young adult, Mr. Coleman joined the Army and fought in World War II. He saw action in the Normandy campaign and became a commandant of a prisoner of war camp. Mr. Coleman was honored in 1944 with the Bronze Star. Mr. Coleman eventually returned to Chicago and later attended Northwestern University, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business-related studies. He received his Certified Public Accountant certification from the University of Illinois and was a self-employed CPA. In recent years, he had lost his eyesight, and Mr. Coleman, once a voracious reader, was without one of his first loves--books. But he enjoyed his time and visits with Olsen, who would run errands for Mr. Coleman or just sit and chat. "I used to come in and say, `OK, Mr. Coleman, I'm here, time for my history lesson,' " she said. "He was a brilliant, brilliant man." Mr. Coleman is survived by two nieces and three nephews. Services will be at 10 a.m. Sunday in Piser Original Weinstein Chapel, 3019 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago.